Which Indian defence company prepares multi-million dollar supplies to Armenia?

Armenia has turned to India to beef up its defences with the purchase of an artillery system amid continuing tensions with Azerbaijan. Over the last two months, Armenia has procured anti-tank missiles and multi-barrel rocket launchers, among other types of munitions, from India in the wake of a Russia-negotiated truce preceded by the 44-day war in the Karabakh region, ThePrint reports.

The latest equipment on Armenia’s shopping list is the mounted 155mm 39-calibre artillery system manufactured by Bharat Forge, a private defence firm part of Pune-based conglomerate Kalyani Group. This will be the first artillery order for the Kalyani Group — the maker of multiple indigenous gun systems.

While the Kalyani Group maintains that the $155 million order is for a “non-conflict zone”, sources in the defence establishment have now identified Armenia as the buyer. The gun systems will be manufactured at Kalyani Group’s facility in Pune and delivered to the buyer in phases over the next three years.

But this is not the first time Armenia has bought Indian defence systems. In September this year, Yerevan signed a government-to-government contract with New Delhi for the indigenous Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles, and ammunition.

Armenian Defence minister Suren Papikyan even met his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the DefExpo held in Gandhinagar last month, looking to expand defence cooperation with India. ThePrint had reported then that Armenia was eyeing more defence deals with India including procurement of drones, counter-drone measures and loitering munitions, besides mid-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems like the Akash developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The ex-Soviet republic had bought four indigenous "Swathi" weapon-locating radars from India in 2020, which were delivered in the backdrop of its renewed hostilities with Azerbaijan.